Google has announced a new fibre optic cable connecting Africa to Australia dubbed Umoja.
This is in a bid to increase the reach and reliability of digital connectivity in Africa, accelerate economic growth and deepen resilience across the continent.
Anchored in Kenya, the Umoja cable route will pass through Uganda, Rwanda, DRC, Zambia, Zimbabwe and South Africa including the Google region before crossing the Indian Ocean to Australia.
Commenting on the announcement, President William Ruto said the new intercontinental fibre optic route will significantly enhance the global and regional digital infrastructure.
This initiative, he said, is crucial in ensuring the redundancy and resilience of our region’s connectivity to the rest of the world, especially in light of recent disruptions caused by cuts to sub-sea cables.
“By strengthening our digital backbone, we are not only improving reliability but also paving the way for increased digital inclusion, and economic opportunities for our people and businesses,” Ruto said.
“I am delighted to welcome Google’s investments in digital connectivity, marking a historic milestone in Kenya, Africa and Australia.”
On her part, US Ambassador to Kenya Meg Whitman noted that access to the latest technology, supported by reliable and resilient digital infrastructure is critical to growing economic opportunity.
“This is a meaningful moment for Kenya’s digital transformation journey and the benefits of today’s announcement will cascade across the region,” she said.
According to a statement by Google Cloud VP for global network infrastructure Brian Quigley, Umoja’s terrestrial path was built in collaboration with Liquid Technologies.
This, he said, was to form a highly scalable route through Africa, including access points that would allow other countries to take advantage of the network.
“Umoja, which is the Swahili word for unity, joins Equiano in an initiative called Africa Connect,” Quigley said.
“It will enable African countries to more reliably connect with each other and the rest of the world. Establishing a new route distinct from existing connectivity routes is critical to maintaining a resilient network for a region that has historically experienced high-impact outages.”
In addition to today's infrastructure announcement, Google has also announced plans to sign a statement of collaboration with the Ministry of ICT and Digital Economy.
This is with an aim to accelerate efforts in cybersecurity, growing data-driven innovation, digital upskilling and responsibly and safely deploying AI for societal benefits.
Australian Minister for Communications Michelle Rowland said diversifying Australia's connectivity and supporting digital inclusion across the globe are both incredibly important objectives.
"Google's Umoja cable will help to do just that. Australia welcomes Google's investment and congratulates all those involved in undertaking this crucial initiative," she said.
Liquid founder and chairman Strive Masiyiwa also said Africa's major cities including Nairobi, Kampala, Kigali, Lubumbashi, Lusaka and Harare will no longer be hard-to-reach endpoints remote from the coastal landing sites that connect Africa to the world.
"They are now stations on a data superhighway that can carry thousands of times more traffic than currently reaches here," he said.
"I am proud that this project helps us deliver a digitally connected future that leaves no African behind, regardless of how far they are from the technology centres of the world.
Google Cloud and Kenya also announced that they intend to work together on strengthening Kenya's cybersecurity.
Google noted that the Department of Immigration and Citizen Services is evaluating Google Cloud's CyberShield solution and Mandiant expertise to strengthen the defence of its e-citizen platforms.
CyberShield seeks to enable governments to build enhanced cyber threat capabilities, protect web-facing infrastructure and also help teams develop skills and processes that drive effective security operations.
The tech giant has expressed excitement about this next chapter for Kenya and the region.